Knight at the Movies Archives
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TV or not TV? Or TVOD...
The Kasdan family must be on Cloud Nine these days. Last Friday saw the debut of younger brother Jon’s writing and directing
feature, In the Land of Women. This week sees the release of elder sibling Jake’s latest effort, The TV Set – which he also wrote,
directed and produced. Both are the offspring of parents Lawrence and Meg. Lawrence – no surprise given his progeny’s professions
of choice – is also a writer-director who was among Hollywood’s top ranks throughout the 80s. His pictures include The Big Chill, Body
Heat and Grand Canyon which Meg wrote. But the “two movies in two weeks!” parental bragging rights will most likely be tempered by
the so-so films themselves. Even though The TV Set is a more clearly focused work than the confused In the Land of Women, is better
paced, acted and written, its subject matter, the soullessness of television is moldy at best. Based on the evidence of these two
pictures, the Kasdan brothers have a way to go before they catch up to the Coen’s.
Even though the premise of The TV Set – the process of shooting a television pilot observed through the eyes of the show’s creator
and writer, Mike (a bearded David Duchovny) – isn’t the freshest, it’s well cast and Kasdan’s script offers plenty of those throwaway
moments that add real credibility and audaciousness to its subject. Mike’s manager (played by the always welcome Judy Greer)
shown replying to an email at the same time she’s once again reassuring her nagging client, Andrea Martin as the show’s wardrobe
mistress expertly guiding the ingénue toward the right costume – something you know she’s done dozens of times before – are just
two examples. Everyone connected with the show is sunny and nice and unbelievably passive-aggressive as they try to get their job
accomplished without blowing their top and the tension under the smiles is palpable.
The fakest one of all, not surprisingly, is the head of programming, Lenny, played with relish by Sigourney Weaver. Lenny says
things like, “She doesn’t let her cuteness get in the way of her hotness” in praise of an actress she likes and comments to Mike
about a problem with the script, “Is the brother’s suicide really necessary? It’s so sad.” When Mike defends the choice, citing it’s
originality she counters, “Original scares me. You don’t want to be too original.” Lenny’s full of phony sympathy and understanding
as are the other executives who nod and concur – especially when Lenny reveals with a straight face what her 14 year-old daughter
Bethany’s opinion has been on a particular show. Bethany, after all, gave the thumbs up to the network’s hottest show, “Slut Wars.”
Mike doesn’t have a chance of saving his original vision for his sitcom (or its title or much else) in the face of the relentless efforts to
change it from what sounds like a “Arrested Development” like black comedy into a perky “Friends” clone. As the film progresses we
see Mike torn between art vs. commerce (sort of – Duchovny is not exactly the most emotive of actors and covered by the beard it’s
even harder to read what he’s thinking). The soul searching by the character also leads to confusion because in the opening
sequence we’ve learned that Mike’s been swimming with the sharks for a long time so we wonder, “Why is he surprised by the
creative tinkering? Why doesn’t he just give them the piece of junk they want, collect his paycheck and write something on the side
that he does care about?”
When a new executive, recruited from the BBC to add “class” to the network seems to temporarily be on Mike’s side even the most
innocent audience member has to know that the English guy’s going to cave and back Lenny, too. It’s a given, right? If everything
from feature films like Network to a TV series like 30 Rock has clued in the audience to the “vast wasteland” that is television why
hasn’t Mike gotten the message? Not to mention Kasdan, as writer of the movie? That nagging question overhangs the entire film
and finally cancels out all the tiny, fresh observations that Kasdan stuffs the picture with. Is it heretical to suggest that this is a
script that could have used some outside help?
Another example of TV making fun of itself is still one of the most biting satires of the genre. This was HBO’s “The Larry Sanders
Show” which ran from 1992-1998 and starred the neurotic comedian extraordinaire Garry Shandling. The series followed the making
of a late night talk show of the Carson-Letterman-Leno ilk. Shandling portrayed the show’s star and reached such comedic heights
that he has never really moved on creatively. Now Sony Pictures has released Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show,
a four disc set that includes 23 episodes drawn from the show’s six seasons and a whopping eight hours of bonus material.
From the beginning, “Larry Sanders” wasn’t shy about pushing the envelope creatively and included GLBT themes and characters and
several of those episodes are included in the set. In one, a minor flap ensues when Brett Butler playing herself gets in a huff when
the show’s talent coordinator (the acidic Janeane Garofalo) doesn’t acknowledge a tryst the women shared years earlier; in another
Ellen Degeneres is urged by Larry to come out and the two end up sleeping together. Even David Duchovny turns up in one of my
favorite episodes. Larry, best friends with the actor reveals to his manager (the crusty but very funny Rip Torn) that he thinks
Duchovny has a gay crush on him. The cast also included Scott Thompson playing the gay assistant to Larry’s second banana, the
overbearing sycophant Hank (the sensational Jeffrey Tambor) and the episode when he sues Hank for sexual harassment, a
highlight of the series, is also here.
A great deal of care has gone into filling out the set and much of the extra material is drawn from Shandling’s personal collection of
video greeting cards from his celebrity friends. There are also commentaries, deleted scenes, and several making of featurettes.
The episodes alone, after such a long wait, would have been worth it, but the special features are indeed “special” – earning the title
for once.
feature, In the Land of Women. This week sees the release of elder sibling Jake’s latest effort, The TV Set – which he also wrote,
directed and produced. Both are the offspring of parents Lawrence and Meg. Lawrence – no surprise given his progeny’s professions
of choice – is also a writer-director who was among Hollywood’s top ranks throughout the 80s. His pictures include The Big Chill, Body
Heat and Grand Canyon which Meg wrote. But the “two movies in two weeks!” parental bragging rights will most likely be tempered by
the so-so films themselves. Even though The TV Set is a more clearly focused work than the confused In the Land of Women, is better
paced, acted and written, its subject matter, the soullessness of television is moldy at best. Based on the evidence of these two
pictures, the Kasdan brothers have a way to go before they catch up to the Coen’s.
Even though the premise of The TV Set – the process of shooting a television pilot observed through the eyes of the show’s creator
and writer, Mike (a bearded David Duchovny) – isn’t the freshest, it’s well cast and Kasdan’s script offers plenty of those throwaway
moments that add real credibility and audaciousness to its subject. Mike’s manager (played by the always welcome Judy Greer)
shown replying to an email at the same time she’s once again reassuring her nagging client, Andrea Martin as the show’s wardrobe
mistress expertly guiding the ingénue toward the right costume – something you know she’s done dozens of times before – are just
two examples. Everyone connected with the show is sunny and nice and unbelievably passive-aggressive as they try to get their job
accomplished without blowing their top and the tension under the smiles is palpable.
The fakest one of all, not surprisingly, is the head of programming, Lenny, played with relish by Sigourney Weaver. Lenny says
things like, “She doesn’t let her cuteness get in the way of her hotness” in praise of an actress she likes and comments to Mike
about a problem with the script, “Is the brother’s suicide really necessary? It’s so sad.” When Mike defends the choice, citing it’s
originality she counters, “Original scares me. You don’t want to be too original.” Lenny’s full of phony sympathy and understanding
as are the other executives who nod and concur – especially when Lenny reveals with a straight face what her 14 year-old daughter
Bethany’s opinion has been on a particular show. Bethany, after all, gave the thumbs up to the network’s hottest show, “Slut Wars.”
Mike doesn’t have a chance of saving his original vision for his sitcom (or its title or much else) in the face of the relentless efforts to
change it from what sounds like a “Arrested Development” like black comedy into a perky “Friends” clone. As the film progresses we
see Mike torn between art vs. commerce (sort of – Duchovny is not exactly the most emotive of actors and covered by the beard it’s
even harder to read what he’s thinking). The soul searching by the character also leads to confusion because in the opening
sequence we’ve learned that Mike’s been swimming with the sharks for a long time so we wonder, “Why is he surprised by the
creative tinkering? Why doesn’t he just give them the piece of junk they want, collect his paycheck and write something on the side
that he does care about?”
When a new executive, recruited from the BBC to add “class” to the network seems to temporarily be on Mike’s side even the most
innocent audience member has to know that the English guy’s going to cave and back Lenny, too. It’s a given, right? If everything
from feature films like Network to a TV series like 30 Rock has clued in the audience to the “vast wasteland” that is television why
hasn’t Mike gotten the message? Not to mention Kasdan, as writer of the movie? That nagging question overhangs the entire film
and finally cancels out all the tiny, fresh observations that Kasdan stuffs the picture with. Is it heretical to suggest that this is a
script that could have used some outside help?
Another example of TV making fun of itself is still one of the most biting satires of the genre. This was HBO’s “The Larry Sanders
Show” which ran from 1992-1998 and starred the neurotic comedian extraordinaire Garry Shandling. The series followed the making
of a late night talk show of the Carson-Letterman-Leno ilk. Shandling portrayed the show’s star and reached such comedic heights
that he has never really moved on creatively. Now Sony Pictures has released Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show,
a four disc set that includes 23 episodes drawn from the show’s six seasons and a whopping eight hours of bonus material.
From the beginning, “Larry Sanders” wasn’t shy about pushing the envelope creatively and included GLBT themes and characters and
several of those episodes are included in the set. In one, a minor flap ensues when Brett Butler playing herself gets in a huff when
the show’s talent coordinator (the acidic Janeane Garofalo) doesn’t acknowledge a tryst the women shared years earlier; in another
Ellen Degeneres is urged by Larry to come out and the two end up sleeping together. Even David Duchovny turns up in one of my
favorite episodes. Larry, best friends with the actor reveals to his manager (the crusty but very funny Rip Torn) that he thinks
Duchovny has a gay crush on him. The cast also included Scott Thompson playing the gay assistant to Larry’s second banana, the
overbearing sycophant Hank (the sensational Jeffrey Tambor) and the episode when he sues Hank for sexual harassment, a
highlight of the series, is also here.
A great deal of care has gone into filling out the set and much of the extra material is drawn from Shandling’s personal collection of
video greeting cards from his celebrity friends. There are also commentaries, deleted scenes, and several making of featurettes.
The episodes alone, after such a long wait, would have been worth it, but the special features are indeed “special” – earning the title
for once.
Boob Tubes:
The TV Set-Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show
Expanded Edition of 4-25-07 Windy City Times Knight at the Movies Column
By Richard Knight, Jr.
The TV Set-Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show
Expanded Edition of 4-25-07 Windy City Times Knight at the Movies Column
By Richard Knight, Jr.
